I Hope You Dance...
by Brigid
Summary: Tom sings at Harry's wedding.


Title: I Hope You Dance

Author:Brigid

Email:brigidandmike@juno.com

Rating:[PG] 

Series:Voyager

Part:1/1 

Synopsis:P/T 

Tom sings at Harry's wedding.

Disclaimer:Paramount owns the characters. I thank them for letting me play with 

them.

Date:March 2002

Thanks to Dasia for the beta and to all the inspiration found at the PT Collective. 

****

I hope you dance…

Harry's wedding day, Tom mused. Well, it had to happen someday and it couldn't happen to a nicer girl. Harry had given his heart to Tal Celes, or Celes Tal, since Bajorans listed their family name first. Whichever it might be, Tom was glad to just call her Tal and to know that she made Harry happy. 

"Tom, if you don't hurry we are going to be late." His wife's voice was starting to lose the air of affection that it had held 30 minutes ago. One last look at the music and he rose from the piano bench, satisfied that he had found the perfect piece. His three-year-old daughter had preceded her mother into the room and launched herself at him. 

"Daddy, we have to hurry or Uncle Harry will get married without us!" 

"He can't get married without me, I'm the best man!" 

"Tom," B'Elanna's tone was dangerous, "best man or not if we are late I promise you, you will be sorry."

Kissing his wife soundly and caressing her well-rounded belly, Tom laughed without a trace of fear. "I had to find the right song for the reception. A best man has some responsibilities, you know."

"One of which is to be on time," B'Elanna reiterated, but she was smiling as she took his arm and headed for the door. 

*** 

The church was an old fashioned cathedral. It had reminded Tal of the temples on her homeworld. The guests were few in number. Harry was an only child, as were his parents, and Tal had lost all of her family in the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. The Voyager crew was their only family and many of them were unable to attend, off on other missions or homeworlds, still finding places for themselves three years after the end of their seven year journey. 

The first person to greet the Parises was Harry's superior and Tom's father, Admiral Owen Paris. He was looking a little irate. "Thomas," he intoned.

"Admiral," Tom matched his tone so perfectly that B'Elanna almost laughed. 

"I thought the wedding party was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago," the admiral continued. 

"Yes, sir, we were. But I got held up."

"Daddy was singing, Papa," Miral giggled as she took her grandfather's hand. 

Unable to retain his stern countenance with Tom's obvious lack of concern and Miral's delighted laughter, he smiled as he asked the small girl, "What was he singing, Miral?"

"I don't know, it's a surprise for Uncle Harry. He was playing the piano too," she whispered to her grandfather. 

Admiral looked at his son in surprise. Tom's musical training had been at his mother's insistence. Owen Paris had thought it distracted Tom from his real mission in life, Starfleet; but he had spent hours unobserved, listening to Tom play the piano and sing. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was proud of Tom's musical talent. And now that Tom had left Starfleet to pursue his career as an author, the admiral had assumed that his music was being neglected also. 

"I still know a few notes, Dad. I promise I won't embarrass you." Tom answered the unspoken question lightly.

"I know, son. It never occurred to me that you would. I was just a little surprised. I thought your writing took all of your time."

"Well, I've discovered that I like to add the music to my holonovels myself, sometimes." Tom was turning red, the curse of fair skin. 

His mother came to his rescue. "Tom, you need to go stay with Harry. He's as nervous as a cat and his father isn't helping one bit. B'Elanna, my dear, I am so happy to see you. You look wonderful. How are you and the baby doing? Miral, how pretty you look! Come give Grandma a kiss. …B'Elanna, Mrs. Kim and I have been helping Tal and Jenny dress and I think they need to see someone younger and far more understanding…" Tom laughed as his mother, still talking, dragged his wife off on her errand of mercy. 

"I guess you have the munchkin, Admiral." Tom nodded to his father as he turned to walk away. 

"We'll be fine, won't we, Miral?" Owen answered.

Miral laughed. She had just begun to tell her grandfather a story about one of her friends at pre-school when she stopped and her eyes got as big as saucers. "Kotay!" she squealed in delight. Forgetting all about her grandfather she raced down the steps of the church to throw herself into Chakotay's arms. 

"What is it with you and younger women throwing themselves at you," his wife asked. 

"It must just be my animal magnetism," he answered as Miral conducted a thorough search of his pockets. Giggling in delight, she pulled out a package of Gummi Bears and handed them to her captive. 

"Open…. please." She remembered her mother' stern warnings about making demands instead of asking nicely for help.

"Chakotay, her mother will kill you if you let her get all sticky before this wedding."

"No problem," he unconsciously mimicked Tom's style as he pulled a small foil-wrapped package out of another pocket. "Wet-ones. I came prepared!" 

Admiral Paris followed his granddaughter down the stairs, laughing at the exchange. "Kathryn, it's wonderful to see you, and you too, Chakotay. How are things in the Office of Scientific Exploration?"

"They're fine, Owen," Kathryn responded as she embraced her old mentor. "We've just returned from a dig that required my personal attention."

"And I assume the attention of one of the Federation's leading paleontologists?"

"Yes, I took him along too, although I don't know why. He's seems to have his sights set on a younger woman now." She laughed at her husband's attempts to keep the sticky candy off his jacket and Miral's dress.

"Kathryn, I could use a little help here," he grumbled.

"You're the one who has such a way with women," she reminded him.

"Let's just say that I know the way to a woman's heart is to feed her regularly," he responded. 

"So that's why you were always inviting me to dinner on Voyager." Her answer was given as she ripped open the foil packet and spread out the moist paper that it held. 

"I must say, with Miral it didn't take near as long to win her heart." Chakotay held Miral out for Kathryn to make the necessary ablutions. 

"I don't know about that, maybe she's just more vocal about it." Kathryn smiled up at her husband. His happiness showed and she caressed the cheek that held her favorite dimple, as least the favorite dimple fit for public consumption. 

Owen Paris cleared his throat and reclaimed his granddaughter, suggesting that they go in and find seats. 

*** 

The wedding was a perfect mixture of Earth and Bajoran traditions. The young couple seemed to have gotten over their nervousness and proclaimed their vows for everyone to hear. Tom as best man and Jenny Delaney as maid of honor performed their tasks magnificently. And no one applauded louder than Tom when the minister introduced Lt. Commander and Mrs. Harry Kim. Tom was delighted that his closest friend had found someone to share his life with. He looked at B'Elanna sitting with his mother and father and found her smiling at him, probably reading his thoughts. She did that occasionally and he loved her for it. This time she simply nodded, indicating her happiness for Harry also. 

Tom's gaze drifted next to Kathryn and Chakotay. What a surprise their wedding had been! When Voyager had returned to the Alpha Quadrant Chakotay and Seven had been an item. Then, without any warning, Seven was on Vulcan meditating with Tuvok and Chakotay was on an Indian Reservation in Arizona. Too busy with their own adjustments to do more than call every couple of weeks, Tom and B'Elanna had assumed he was alone and pursuing his first love, paleontology. The second reunion for the Voyager crew had also reunited the command team and given them a chance to reassess their relationship. Captain Janeway and Chakotay had been dancing around each other all evening until Tom persuaded the bandleader to play a song, one he knew would get their attention. As Tom sang the familiar words, they began to dance. 

__

Wise men say, only fools rush in

But I can't help falling in love with you…

Six weeks later the Parises received an announcement, "Married on Mars. Honeymooning on Risa. Call you when we get back to earth." 

__

Like a river flows, surely to the sea

Darling so it goes

Some things were meant to be…

Tom had sung to his wife as they danced around their kitchen with Miral laughing ecstatically between them. They were delighted that their old friends had found happiness in each other.

*** 

The reception was wearing down when Tom took the microphone from the bandleader. "Well, it's tradition for the best man to prop up the groom during the wedding, I did that. And to make the first toast, I did that. And to go home with the prettiest girls, next to the bride of course, and I certainly plan on doing that." He grinned at his wife and daughter. 

"But I have another gift for you, Harry. You've been the best friend that I ever had, the first one to call me a friend on Voyager when no one wanted anything to do with me. You stuck by me when lots of others would have given up. I strongly suspect that you kept B'Elanna from spacing me those first couple of years." Laughter wafted across the room. 

"You took a lot of chances on love but I'm glad you never gave up." Tom bestowed his brightest smile on Tal. "Unfortunately, you didn't realize that there was a beautiful Bajoran by your side who was too shy to tell you that she'd already laid claim to your heart. It could have saved you a lot of grief but you wouldn't be the man you are today."

Tom paused in his speech to look at his friend, "You've grown up, Harry and I'm proud to say I knew both Starfleet's oldest living ensign and its finest lieutenant commander. Don't ever lose your sense of wonder, Harry. Starfleet could use a little wonder." Tom's smiling glance rested on his father and drifted to his captain. 

With a signal to the band leader Tom began:

__

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder  
You get your fill to eat  
But always keep that hunger  
May you never take one single breath for granted  
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed  
I hope you still feel small  
When you stand by the ocean  
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens  
Promise me you'll give fate a fighting chance  
  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance  
I hope you dance  
I hope you dance

Harry stood and took his wife into his arms and they danced, alone in the center of the floor with the ocean breeze cooling the air as it wafted through the open doors of reception hall. Their faces held all the joy and wonder of the newly married, promises of so many joyful times to come, so many chances to take, so many paths to follow. 

__

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance  
Never settle for the path of least resistance  
Living might mean taking chances  
But they're worth taking  
Lovin' might be a mistake  
But it's worth making  
Don't let some hell bent heart  
Leave you bitter  
When you come close to selling out  
Reconsider  
Give the heavens above  
More than just a passing glance  
  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance  
Time is a real and constant motion always  
Rolling us along  
I hope you dance  
I hope you dance

Kathryn and Chakotay joined the Kims on the dance floor, swaying gently to the rhythm of Tom's words, lost in the arms of a chance they had for so long been unwilling to take. 

__

  
I hope you still feel small  
When you stand by the ocean  
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens  
Promise me you'll give fate a fighting chance  
  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance  
  
Dance  
I hope you dance  
I hope you dance  
Tell me who  
Wants to look back on their youth and wonder  
Where those years have gone  
I hope you dance  
I hope you dance  
I hope you dance  
  
Tell me who  
Wants to look back on their youth and wonder  
Where those years have gone

I hope you dance

Tom handed the microphone back to the bandleader and walked over to his wife. He held out his arms and she walked into them. With their unborn son nestled between then, they danced. 

The End

__

Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley

__

I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack


End file.
